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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Authors Are Rockstars Tour: Guest Post with Cat Winters + Giveaway

Reasons for why Cat Winters is a rockstar: She is amazing. She's one of the kindest people I have ever talked to. She writes amazing books. Even though I've only read one of them so far, I know the next one will be amazing as well. She always respond when you ask her a question, even if it is silly. I just think that Cat is amazing. She's so kind and sweet and I adore her. She's a true rockstar.

I'm so excited about being a part of this amazing blog tour. And I get to host Cat Winters! Who is one of my favorite people of all time. She's just amazing. Loved her book so much, and I'm dying to read her next one, which she is talking about today. Cat is also sharing an amazing international giveaway with you all, which is making me wish I could enter too :) Tour schedule for the Authors Are Rockstars blog tour can be found here. If you love the post as much as I do, please leave a comment for Cat :)

I’m thrilled to be here at Carina’s Books as
part of the Authors Are Rockstars Tour! Carina has been amazing about spreading
the word about my debut novel, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, so I’ve agreed to
share details about my upcoming release, THE CURE FOR DREAMING, on her site.
The new book will be available Fall 2014 from Amulet Books.

Here’s the official teaser blurb from
Publisher’s Marketplace:

At
the turn of the 20th century, a seventeen-year-old is hypnotized into seeing
people's true selves. Illustrated with late-Victorian images.

Instead of writing up several paragraphs
describing THE CURE FOR DREAMING, I’ve decided to divulge details about the
novel by answering the frequently asked questions I’ve been receiving about the
book. Feel free to ask additional questions in the comments section.

Can
you tell us a little more about the plot?

In 1900 Portland, Oregon,
seventeen-year-old Olivia Mead’s father hires a talented young stage hypnotist
to cure the girl of rebellious, unfeminine thoughts…but the cure doesn’t go
quite as planned.

Will
the book be as dark as IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS?

There’s no worldwide plague haunting the
main characters of this new novel, so that aspect alone will make the book seem
lighter. THE CURE FOR DREAMING does deal with some serious issues, namely
oppression, but early readers have commented on how surprisingly humorous the
novel is. When my agent first read the early chapters, she said the book read
as if Tim Burton and Jane Austen had written a manuscript together. Death
doesn’t pervade the story the way it does with IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, but
the book is intended to be another atmospheric read with a Gothic flavor.

So…there
are historical images in this one, too?

Yes. One of the first sources of inspiration
for THE CURE FOR DREAMING was an archival photograph involving
turn-of-the-twentieth-century hypnosis. I immediately placed that photo in
front of the opening chapter of the manuscript. Gradually, I found an amazing
collection of historical images and absolutely perfect quotes from late-Victorian
authors, suffragists, and even anti-suffragists, all of which I’m using
throughout the novel to turn the entire book into a literary time machine. I
don’t want the use of historical images in my novels to ever seem like a
gimmick, so I likely won’t do this for every book I write. However, as with IN
THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, the use of photos and illustrations feels like the
right choice for this one.

Can
you tell us a little bit about your hypnotist character?

The only thing I can say at this point is
that his name is Monsieur Henri Reverie, and he’s eighteen at the time of the
novel’s setting. He has some secrets that can’t be revealed until you step inside
the book, so I’ll let you wait to get to know him any further.

The
main character of IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS was named after Mary Shelley, the
author of FRANKENSTEIN. Will this new book also include a tie-in to a classic
horror novel?

THE CURE FOR DREAMING takes place a year
after DRACULA was published in the United States, and that particular horror
novel impacts the plot.

When
will we see a cover?

I doubt a cover will be available until
sometime next spring. I have no idea what it will look like, but I’m confident
Amulet Books will again create a fabulous design.

Are
you working on any other books?

I’m in the very early stages of writing a
third historical YA novel. I already received my agent’s stamp of approval on
the concept and the title, but I need to keep everything top secret until the
book actually sells. I’m currently conducting research and playing around with
the first chapters, and I hope to have a manuscript ready to submit in 2014.

Will
you always write historical fiction?

I’m not completely sure about my answer to that
particular question. I actually signed with my agent based on a contemporary
novel that never sold to a publisher, so I have some experience writing books
set in the present. We’ll see what happens after I finish this third historical
YA. Maybe I’ll write a middle-grade fantasy…or a contemporary psychological
thriller. The possibilities are endless.

MY
GIVEAWAY:

I’ll give away three swag packs that will
include IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS bookmarks and stickers and a signed
bookplate featuring a never-before-seen quote from THE CURE FOR DREAMING. Open
internationally.

I'm dying to read The Cure for Dreaming! Thank you so much Cat for sharing about it. <3 There isn't any online info about it yet, so I've shared below some ways to find Cat and to order her first book, In the Shadow of Blackbirds :) Which I adored. It is one of the best books ever. I've already read it twice. And if you want to, you could check out my five star rated book recommendation of it here. I just cannot wait to read all the books by Cat :) She's awesome. Thank you again, Cat, for being here today :D

I am SO EAGER to read anything written by Cat Winters. I adore her so very much. Her writing is beautiful. I love the little bits about her next novel though it makes the wait that much more painful. I love the idea that it will have some humor sprinkled in. Wonderful post Carina!

I loved In the Shadow of Blackbirds so, so much!! I felt completely immersed in the story, I cried, I laughed, I feared, I felt the characters' terror and despair. And at the end of it, I felt like I'd been part of something special.So I'm VERY curious and excited about The Cure for Dreaming! I also love that there will be photographs and quotes in it again because I really enjoyed that in Blackbirds :)Thanks so much for the giveaway!

It's so great to be able to hear a little more about the book! I can't wait to finally get my hands on it. After In the Shadow of the Blackbirds, Cat's firmly earned her way onto my auto-buy list. :) I just love the premise for ACfD, and I agree with you Carina - I have a feeling it will be amazing too! :)

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments everyone! Carina, I really appreciate you hosting me on your stop of the Authors Are Rockstars tour. A huge thanks for all of your IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS love!

About Me

I'm 24 years old and from Norway. I love reading more than anything. Other things that I love: His Dark Materials. The Scorpio Races. The Lunar Chronicles. Illuminae. My cat and my books. HTTYD. Disney. Studio Ghibli. And lots more. ❤